Editing Southern United States (section)

==Sports==
===Football===
[[File:2010 BCS Champ.jpg|thumb|[[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]] plays [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]] for the 2010 [[BCS National Championship Game|BCS National Championship]].]]
[[File:Dallas Cowboys in the red-zone.jpg|thumb| The [[Dallas Cowboys]] are one of the region's most popular NFL teams.]]
[[American football]] is heavily considered the most popular team sport in most areas of the Southern United States.

The region is home to numerous decorated and historic [[college football]] programs, particularly in the [[Southeastern Conference]] (known as the "SEC"), [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] (known as the "ACC"), and the [[Big 12 Conference]]. The SEC, consisting almost entirely of teams based in Southern states, is widely considered to be the strongest league in contemporary college football and includes the [[Alabama Crimson Tide]], the program with the most national championships in the sport's modern history. The sport is also highly competitive and has a spectator following at the [[high school football|high school level]], particularly in rural areas, where high school football games often serve as prominent community gatherings.

The first established professional football team based in the South were the [[History of the Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]], now called the [[Washington Commanders]]. They still retain a large following in most of Virginia and parts of Maryland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/the-geography-of-nfl-fandom/379729/|title=Here Is Every U.S. County's Favorite Football Team (According to Facebook)|first=Robinson|last=Meyer|date=September 5, 2014|website=The Atlantic|access-date=March 1, 2019|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807080305/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/the-geography-of-nfl-fandom/379729/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later on, the [[National Football League]] (NFL) and [[American Football League]] (AFL) began to expand many teams in the Southern US during the 1960s, with franchises like the [[Atlanta Falcons]], [[New Orleans Saints]], [[Houston Oilers]], [[Miami Dolphins]], and the [[Dallas Cowboys]]. In later decades, NFL expansion into Southern states continued, with the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] during the 1970s, along with the [[Carolina Panthers]], [[Jacksonville Jaguars]], and [[Baltimore Ravens]] during the 1990s. The Houston Oilers were eventually replaced by the [[Houston Texans]], after the Oilers relocated to [[Nashville]] to become the [[Tennessee Titans]].

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|+ Collegiate football teams
|-
! Rank !! Team !! width=90px | League !! Attendance<br />(2019 avg/game)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attendance/2019.pdf|title=2019 National College Football Attendance|access-date=June 11, 2024|archive-date=July 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718061918/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attendance/2019.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 1 || [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M Aggies]] || NCAA (SEC) || 101,608
|-
| 2 || [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama Crimson Tide]] || [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|NCAA]] (SEC) || 101,117
|-
| 3 || [[LSU Tigers football|LSU Tigers]] || NCAA (SEC) || 100,842
|-
| 4 || [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas Longhorns]] || NCAA (SEC) || 96,306
|-
| 5 || [[Georgia Bulldogs football|Georgia Bulldogs]] || NCAA (SEC) || 92,817
|-
| 6 || [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee Volunteers]] || NCAA (SEC) || 87,864
|-
| 7 || [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma Sooners]] || NCAA (SEC) || 86,735
|-
| 8 || [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn Tigers]] || NCAA (SEC) || 84,462
|-
| 9 || [[Florida Gators football|Florida Gators]] || NCAA (SEC) || 82,328
|-
| 10 || [[Clemson Tigers football|Clemson Tigers]] || NCAA (ACC) || 80,400
|-
| 11 || [[South Carolina Gamecocks football|South Carolina Gamecocks]] || NCAA (SEC) || 73,628
|-
| 12 || [[Florida State Seminoles football|Florida State Seminoles]] || NCAA (ACC) || 68,288
|-
| 13 || [[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami Hurricanes]] || NCAA (ACC) || 61,469
|-
| 14 || [[Louisville Cardinals football|Louisville Cardinals]] || NCAA (ACC) || 61,290
|-
| 15 || [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State Cowboys]]|| NCAA (Big 12) || 60,218
|-
| 16 || [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas Razorbacks]]|| NCAA (SEC)|| 59,884
|-
| 17 || [[Virginia Tech Hokies football|Virginia Tech Hokies]]|| NCAA (ACC) || 59,574
|-
| 18 || [[West Virginia Mountaineers football|West Virginia Mountaineers]] || NCAA (Big 12) || 58,158
|-
| 19 || [[Mississippi State Bulldogs football|Mississippi State Bulldogs]]|| NCAA (SEC) || 58,057
|-
| 20 || [[Kentucky Wildcats football|Kentucky Wildcats]]|| NCAA (SEC) || 57,572
|-
| 21 || [[NC State Wolfpack football|NC State Wolfpack]]|| NCAA (ACC) || 56,855
|-
| 22 || [[Texas Tech Red Raiders football|Texas Tech Red Raiders]]|| NCAA (Big 12) || 56,034
|-
| 23 ||[[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss Rebels]]|| NCAA (SEC) || 55,685
|-
| 24 ||[[Virginia Cavaliers football|Virginia Cavaliers]]|| NCAA (ACC) || 47,863
|-
| 25 ||[[Baylor Bears football|Baylor Bears]]|| NCAA (Big 12) || 44,915
|}

===Baseball===
[[File:Lone Star Series, Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Houston Astros|Houston]] vs [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas]] face-off during the 2013 [[Lone Star Series]] in the [[American League West]] division of [[Major League Baseball]].]]
[[Baseball]] has been played in the Southern United States dating back to the mid-19th century. It was traditionally more popular than American football until the 1980s and still accounts for the largest annual attendance amongst sports played in the South. The first mention of a baseball team in Houston was on April 11, 1861.<ref>{{cite book |url = https://archive.org/stream/houstonahistory00writmiss#page/215/mode/1up |title = Houston: A History and Guide |publisher = The Anson Jones Press |year = 1942 |series = American Guide Series |author = Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration on the State of Texas |page = 215 |lccn = 87890145 |ol = 2507140M }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Base Ball Club |url = http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth236140/m1/1/zoom/?q=%22base%20ball%22&zoom=6&lat=2565.42725&lon=2008.57349&layers=BF |newspaper = The Weekly Telegraph |date = April 16, 1861 |access-date = December 10, 2012 |archive-date = January 20, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150120093907/http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth236140/m1/1/zoom/?q=%22base%20ball%22&zoom=6&lat=2565.42725&lon=2008.57349&layers=BF |url-status = live }}</ref> During the late 19th century and early 20th century games were common, especially once the professional leagues such as the [[Texas League]], the [[Dixie League (1916 baseball)|Dixie League]]<!--The 1916 league looks too late in context and only played 2 seasons-->, and the [[Southern League (1885–99)|Southern League]] were organized.

The short-lived [[Louisville Colonels]] were a part of the early [[National League (baseball)|National League]] and [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]], but ceased to exist in 1899. The first Southern Major League Baseball team after the Colonels appeared in 1962, when the Houston Colt .45s (known today as the [[Houston Astros]]) were enfranchised. Later, the [[Atlanta Braves]] came in 1966, followed by the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] in 1972, and finally the [[Miami Marlins]] and [[Tampa Bay Rays]] in the 1990s.

[[College baseball]] appears to be more well attended in the South than elsewhere, as teams like [[Florida State Seminoles baseball|Florida State]], [[Arkansas Razorbacks baseball|Arkansas]], [[LSU Tigers baseball|LSU]], [[Virginia Cavaliers baseball|Virginia]], [[Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball|Mississippi State]], [[Ole Miss Rebels baseball|Ole Miss]], [[South Carolina Gamecocks baseball|South Carolina]], [[Florida Gators baseball|Florida]] and [[Texas Longhorns baseball|Texas]] are commonly at the top of the [[NCAA]]'s attendance.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2014/attendance140331.pdf |title = 2014 Division I Baseball Attendance |publisher = [[National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association]] |author = Cutler, Tami |date = March 31, 2014 |access-date = January 20, 2015 |archive-date = February 16, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150216084702/http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2014/attendance140331.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref> The South generally produces very successful collegiate baseball teams with Virginia, Vanderbilt, LSU, South Carolina, Florida and [[Coastal Carolina Chanticleers|Coastal Carolina]] winning recent [[College World Series]] Titles.

The following is a list of each MLB team in the Southern U.S. and the total fan attendance for 2019:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Rank !! Team !! League !! 2019 overall<br />annual attendance<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.espn.com/mlb/attendance |title = MLB Attendance |publisher = [[ESPN]] |access-date = March 19, 2020 |archive-date = October 16, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016145842/http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance |url-status = live }}</ref>
|-
| 1 || [[Houston Astros]] || [[American League]] || 2,857,367
|-
| 2 || [[Atlanta Braves]] || [[National League (baseball)|National League]] || 2,654,920
|-
| 3 || [[Washington Nationals]] || [[National League (baseball)|National League]] || 2,259,781
|-
| 4 || [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] || [[American League]] || 2,133,004
|-
| 5 || [[Baltimore Orioles]] || [[American League]] || 1,307,807
|-
| 6 || [[Tampa Bay Rays]] || [[American League]] || 1,178,735
|-
| 7 || [[Miami Marlins]] || [[National League (baseball)|National League]] || 811,302
|-
|}

===Auto racing===
[[File:Green flag at Daytona.JPG|thumb|right|The start of the [[2015 Daytona 500]], the biggest race in [[NASCAR]], at [[Daytona International Speedway]] in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]]]]
The Southern states are commonly associated with [[stock car racing]] and its most prominent competition level [[NASCAR]], which is headquartered in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] and [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]]. The sport was developed in the South during the early 20th century, with stock car racing's historic mecca being Daytona Beach, where cars initially raced on the wide, flat beachfront, before the construction of [[Daytona International Speedway]]. Though the sport has attained a following throughout the United States, a majority of NASCAR races continue to take place at Southern tracks.

===Basketball===
[[Basketball]] is very popular throughout the Southern United States as both a recreational and spectator sport, particularly in the states of [[Kentucky]] and [[North Carolina]]. Both states are home to several prominent [[college basketball]] programs, including the [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky Wildcats]], [[Louisville Cardinals men's basketball|Louisville Cardinals]], [[Duke Blue Devils men's basketball|Duke Blue Devils]] and [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina Tar Heels]]. Other southern teams, like the [[Florida Gators men's basketball|Florida Gators]] and [[Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball|Virginia Cavaliers]] have won national championships.

[[National Basketball Association|NBA]] teams based in the South include the [[San Antonio Spurs]], [[Houston Rockets]], [[Oklahoma City Thunder]], [[Dallas Mavericks]], [[Washington Wizards]], [[Charlotte Hornets]], [[Atlanta Hawks]], [[Orlando Magic]], [[Memphis Grizzlies]], [[New Orleans Pelicans]], and [[Miami Heat]]. The Spurs and Heat in particular have become prominent within the NBA, with eight championships won by the two between 1999 and 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37736110/nba-finals-matchup-list-which-teams-won-title|title=Every NBA finals matchup and winner|date=June 30, 2023|website=ESPN.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118063858/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37736110/nba-finals-matchup-list-which-teams-won-title|archive-date=November 18, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Golf===
[[Golf]] is a popular recreational sport in most areas of the South, with the region's warm climate allowing it to host many [[Professional golf tours|professional tournaments]] and numerous destination golf resorts, particularly in the state of [[Florida]]. The region is home to [[The Masters]] which is played at [[Augusta National Golf Club]] in [[Augusta, Georgia]], and has become one of the professional game's most important tournaments. One of the four [[Men's major golf championships|major championships]] in [[Hilton Head Island]], in [[South Carolina]], is also home to a prominent American golf tournament and has several high-quality courses.

===Soccer===
In recent decades [[association football]], known in the South as in the rest of the United States as "soccer", has become a popular sport at youth and collegiate levels throughout the region. The game has been historically widespread at the college level in the Atlantic coast states of Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas; which contain many of the nation's most successful college soccer programs. In particular, [[Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer|Virginia]] has won 7 NCAA National Championships, the third most of any school.

The establishment of [[Major League Soccer]] has led to professional soccer clubs in the Southern cities including [[FC Dallas]], [[Houston Dynamo]], [[D.C. United]], [[Orlando City SC|Orlando City]], [[Inter Miami CF|Inter Miami]], [[Nashville SC]], [[Atlanta United]], [[Austin FC]] and [[Charlotte FC]]. The current United States second division soccer league, the [[USL Championship]], was initially geographically based in the coastal Southeast around clubs in Charleston, Richmond, Charlotte, [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]], Raleigh, Virginia Beach, and Atlanta.

===Major sports teams in the South===
The Southern region is home to numerous professional sports franchises in the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|"Big Four" leagues]] (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB), with many championships collectively among them. Professional sports leagues such as the [[National Football League]] (NFL), [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA), [[National Hockey League]] (NHL), [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS), and [[National Women's Soccer League]] (NWSL), have team franchises in following cities/metropolitan areas of the region:

* Dallas-Fort Worth: [[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]] (NFL), [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Rangers]] (MLB), [[Dallas Mavericks|Mavericks]] (NBA), [[Dallas Stars|Stars]] (NHL), [[FC Dallas]] (MLS), [[Dallas Wings|Wings]] (WNBA)
* Washington, D.C.: [[Washington Commanders|Commanders]] (NFL), [[Washington Nationals|Nationals]] (MLB), [[Washington Wizards|Wizards]] (NBA), [[Washington Capitals|Capitals]] (NHL), [[D.C. United|United]] or the Eagles (MLS), [[Washington Mystics|Mystics]] (WNBA), [[Washington Spirit|Spirit]] (NWSL)
* Miami-Fort Lauderdale: [[Miami Dolphins|Dolphins]] (NFL), [[Miami Marlins|Marlins]] (MLB), [[Miami Heat|Heat]] (NBA), [[Florida Panthers|Panthers]] (NHL), [[Inter Miami|Inter]] or the Herons (MLS)
* Houston: [[Houston Texans|Texans]] (NFL), [[Houston Astros|Astros]] (MLB), [[Houston Rockets|Rockets]] (NBA), [[Houston Dynamo|Dynamo]] (MLS), [[Houston Dash|Dash]] (NWSL)
* Atlanta: [[Atlanta Falcons|Falcons]] (NFL), [[Atlanta Braves|Braves]] (MLB), [[Atlanta Hawks|Hawks]] (NBA), [[Atlanta United FC|United]] (MLS), [[Atlanta Dream|Dream]] (WNBA)
* Tampa Bay: [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Buccaneers]] (NFL), [[Tampa Bay Rays|Rays]] (MLB), [[Tampa Bay Lightning|Lightning]] (NHL)
* Baltimore: [[Baltimore Ravens|Ravens]] (NFL), [[Baltimore Orioles|Orioles]] (MLB)
* Charlotte: [[Carolina Panthers|Panthers]] (NFL), [[Charlotte Hornets|Hornets]] (NBA), [[Charlotte FC]] or the Crown (MLS)
* Nashville: [[Tennessee Titans|Titans]] (NFL), [[Nashville Predators|Predators]] (NHL), [[Nashville SC]] (MLS)
* New Orleans: [[New Orleans Saints|Saints]] (NFL), [[New Orleans Pelicans|Pelicans]] (NBA)
* Orlando: [[Orlando Magic|Magic]] (NBA), [[Orlando City SC]] or the Lions (MLS), [[Orlando Pride|Pride]] (NWSL)
* San Antonio: [[San Antonio Spurs|Spurs]] (NBA)
* Jacksonville: [[Jacksonville Jaguars|Jaguars]] (NFL)
* Oklahoma City: [[Oklahoma City Thunder|Thunder]] (NBA)
* Memphis: [[Memphis Grizzlies|Grizzlies]] (NBA)
* Raleigh: [[Carolina Hurricanes|Hurricanes]] (NHL)
* Austin: [[Austin FC]] (MLS)
* Cary, North Carolina: [[North Carolina Courage|Courage]] (NWSL)
* Louisville, Kentucky: [[Racing Louisville FC|Racing]] (NWSL)